Squatting Knee problems

I've been on the stronglifts 5x5 program for about 4 months now. The squats are getting pretty heavy as i started with some weight instead of just the empty bar. I've always had a bad right knee but never problems with the left. Recently my left knee began hurting during one of my sets to the point where i thought maybe i should stop, i may not be able to finish. I pushed through that workout and paid it no more attention. After two days, i hit the next workout. Immediately the pain was back. I forced it through that workout but afterwards the pain began to affect my everyday movement to the point where any bending of the knee hurts and doing the squat motion without weights was also very painful. Really hurts to even stand up from sitting. The pain seems to be localized to the front middle part of my kneecap and it feels like the is a small sack of fluid there now. I decided to skip only the squats for a week. Tomorrow is my planned return to squats. It feels a little better but i know it will be back. I don't want to permanently damage my knee. Should i wrap my knees? And how would i do it most effectively? I would hate to give up the squats because they have been the best thing ever for my workouts.

If your knee hurts then stop doing the thing that makes it worse, ie squats, at least for a little while.
I assume you have tried icing it and taking ibruprofen?
How old are you?
I ask as if like me you are over 30 then it might be worth taking Glucosamine or fish oil, that helps with your joints. Of course you may well have an injury which needs to heel or requires surgery so a visit to your GP may be wise

"The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero projects his fear onto his opponent while the coward runs. 'Fear'. It's the same thing, but it's what you do with it that matters". - Cus D'Amato

If your knee hurts then stop doing the thing that makes it worse, ie squats, at least for a little while.
I assume you have tried icing it and taking ibruprofen?
How old are you?
I ask as if like me you are over 30 then it might be worth taking Glucosamine or fish oil, that helps with your joints. Of course you may well have an injury which needs to heel or requires surgery so a visit to your GP may be wise

Im 31. I've iced it but that didn't help much. I've been taking the triple concentrated fish oil for almost two weeks now. And how long do you consider a "while"?

Hmmmm. I THINK that my technique is somewhat close to that but not exactly the same. I have really long legs which makes tough to keep my back as straight as his. Pretty sure my knees go a little past my toes. I thought my wider stance was the problem but i have similar result with a close stance. I do squat deep and try to stay as straight as possible though. I basically go down till im almost sitting on my calves. Sometimes i go all the way down for a half second. I always thought that was bad but the strong lift's site said that your knees are strong there so I've been doing it that way.

Does the patella appear to float? Or is the swelling on top of the patella?

I would say the swelling is on top of the patella and feels almost like a very big vein the floats when i touch it. Also I never took notice before but the knee cap seems to have a deep pit or indentation on top. My other kneecap seems rounded and solid on top. Almost like some cartilige is missing or something. Like i said i never had a problem with that knee so i never really checked it out. Could have always been there.

Getting health advice on the internet is dumb. If you have health insurance or can afford it, get someone to look at your knee. You want to keep your knees in good shape if you can.

Once that's squared away, get someone who is non-retarded to teach you how to squat. Squats should not bother your knees if you do them right. Most people don't do them right. As someone said, you need to initiate from the hips not the knees. Think of it as sitting back -- like sitting on a chair-- your back will stay flat and almost straight. (There are several different but valid ways to squat -- O lifters and power lifters use very different techniques so videos may confuse you if you don't know what you're looking at).

The O lifter posted has good form for a heavy single. The camera angle is kind of crappy, though. (As an aside: holy **** his quads are huge).

If you go deep enough, your knees usually go past your toes. It's just the way things are -- that O-lifter's knees actually appear to go past his toes at the bottom (hard to say definitively because of the angle). If you're long-limbed, it'll happen sooner.

I'd also suggest that if your back isn't staying straight, then the rest of your form is suffering somewhat. That is the whole reason for starting the program light, it is to ensure you learn, and keep, good form. My form suffered recently, only slightly, I'd lock my knees out on the way up then straighten my back. I realised this wasn't good, it felt like it was doing more because even though it was only a slight angle to straighten to, my lower back felt tight after it. So the next time I went I didn't add any weight and concentrated on keeping my back straight.

I damaged my knee and didn't see a doc, I continued stronglifts after deloading and resting a few weeks, now my knee is almost fully repaired from my training rather than deteriorated. It may seem hypocritical because of this, but go see a doctor.

From a naturopathic perspective (i am a registered holistic nutritional consultant,studying to be a naturopath now) i would say stop for a while. Glucosamine, chondroitin, msm, omega 3, celadrin... These will all help rebuild and condition your joints but the doses on the bottles are practically a joke. Also they take months to have noticeable results. Make them a daily part of your routine with some calcium and multi vitamins. Good luck and i hope your knee gets better...take care